6/05/2009 @ 6:00AM

In Pictures: 10 Zany Patents

Even in a recession, patent lawyers keep busy. Since 1996, the annual number of patent filings has jumped 130% to 485,000 last year. But what some consider innovation others call a boondoggle. We trolled the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for some of the more eyebrow-raising intellectual property on the books. You decide.